Last year, due to the pandemic and the distance between people, Google Meet was offering unlimited group calls for personal Gmail accounts. However, this wasn't going to be forever and obviously an hour would end. This favor given by Google ended at the beginning of this month of July and the company explained how it will work from now on.
Previously, in April 2020, Meet was released to all Gmail users with no time limit. Initially, Google's plan was to end the benefit on September 30, but the deadline was extended to March 31 and again to June 30. However, this time we didn't have a new postponement and the company cut the "bonus" once and for all.
Google Meet imposes time limit on group calls in Gmail
Starting in July 2021, users of free Google accounts will have to live with "calls with 3 or more participants" limited to 60 minutes.
"Tip: At 55 minutes, everyone gets a notification that the call is about to end. To extend the call, the host can update their Google account. Otherwise, the call will end in 60 minutes."
Google announces badges for verified Gmail accountsIndividual calls will continue with a 24-hour limit
At least individual calls will continue to be limited up to 24 hours for toll-free or corporate accounts. Upgrading the aforementioned account to be able to chat longer in a group costs $9,90 per month for Workspace Individual and has been launched in five countries (US, Canada, Mexico, Spain and Japan). If you are interested in purchasing a paid account, simply access the Google Workspace website here.
What changes?
While it is annoying to have a time limit for group calls, nothing prevents the user from creating another link to restart the call and continue the conversation. Also, not everyone uses group calls, and in that case, individual calls are practically unlimited.
